As described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,701,044, which is incorporated by reference, an image sensor is a device that changes light indicating an image of an object into an electric signal for each pixel. An image sensor is used for small electronic products capable of photographing still images and motion pictures, for example, digital cameras, mobile phones, PDAs (personal digital assistants), rear view monitoring cameras included in bumpers, and interphones. The image sensor includes a charge coupled device (CCD) and/or a complementary MOSFET oxidized semiconductor (CMOS). The image sensor is a type of semiconductor chip.
A semiconductor chip is packaged for protection from external shocks, the environment and the exchange of electric signals with the outside. An image sensor chip is connected to a digital signal processor (DSP) to process an electric signal output from the image sensor chip and to a memory to store image information. Also, the image sensor chip is electrically interconnected to a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) and a hard printed circuit board (HPCB) to exchange electric signals with an electronic device outside a camera module.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are sectional views showing conventional chip packages for an image sensor. Referring to FIG. 1, an image sensor chip 1 is wire-bonded to the upper surface of an HPCB 6 via a metal wire 3. A DSP 7 is electrically connected to the HPCB 6 by being flipchip bonded to the lower surface of the HPCB 6. An infrared (IR) cut filter 9 is arranged above an image sensor 2. Referring to FIG. 2, the image sensor chip 1 is arranged at the lowermost position of a housing 4. A peripheral part of the upper surface of the image sensor chip 1 is electrically connected to the FPCB 8 via flip chip bonding 1a. The DSP 7 is located at a portion of the FPCB 8 positioned outside the housing 4.
While chip packages for an image sensor are known, there exists a continuous need to reduce the size of those chip packages in the interest of minimizing the electronic products in which those chip packages are housed.